Apparatus for massaging and exercising the feet



June 30, 1936. A, K. WERLER Ef FEET 2 sheets-sheet 1` gmx ZVma/f rj/KMZ' Filed July 8 APPARATUS FOR MASSAGING AND EXERCISING TH .lune 30,1936.

A. K. WERLER APPARATUS FOR MASSAGING AND EXERGTSXNG THE FEET Filed July8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J7 y 4 35,9 Y

Patented June 30, 1936 TED sTArss orties Albert K. Werler, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 8, -1935, Serialv No. 30,269

11 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 57) This invention relates. to improvements inapparatus for massaging and exercising theufoot and more particularly toa power driven yfoot massaging and exercising device, especially adaptedto strengthen and correct the arches of the foot. Y Y Y My invention hasamong `other objects to provide a new and improved power drivenapparatus of the class described constructed in anovel manner formassaging the arch of the foot with a rolling motion by means ofreciprocably driven resilient members moving in a path conformingsubstantially to the instep or metatarsal arch of the foot. Anotherobject` of my invention is to provide a new and improved form Yofmassaging member which is formed to conform substantially to thetransverse arch or instep of the foot. Still another object of myinvention is to provide 'a more simplified and efficient device of theclass described than formerly, which may be adjusted to efficientlyoperate on varying sizes and forms of feet with a varying intensity tosuit the individual patient. t

Other objects of my invention will appear from time to time asthefollowing specification proceeds. v

My invention may best be understood by reference `to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating one embodiment of myinvention; Y Y v v Figure 2 is an enlarged planwview of `the deviceshown in Figure 1, with parts broken away and shown in horizontalsection in order to more clearly illustrate certain details of myinvention; j

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 3-3 ofFigure 2, with several of the parts in different positions than inFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 4--4 ofFigure 2; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 5-5 ofFigure 2. Y Y

In the drawings, the' embodiment of Ymy Vin'- vention illustrated ispreferably shown as being enclosed in a casing Ill mounted on a tiltingplatform II for adjustment to conform to the position of the feet uponwhich it is to operate and includes generally a pair of vmassagingrollers I2, I2 reciprocably movable in an arcuate path conformingsubstantially tothe contour of the metatarsal arch of the foot.Saidrollers taper from a greater diameter towards the inner ends thereofto a smaller diameter towards the outer ends thereof and are of acontour which substantially'conforms to a transverse section takenthrough the instep or metatarsal arch of theaveragefoot. Foot rests I4,I4 are provided to support each ofthe patients feet. Said foot restshave a transverse opening in the center thereof with- `5 in which saidmassaging rollers are mounted to reciprocably move. Said foot rests arevertically adjustable in a manner which will hereinafter be more fullydescribed to vary the intensity of the massaging action or permit thedevice to 10 be adjusted to varying sizes of feet and are providedwithadjustable heel rests I5, I5 against which the back of the heel isadapted to rest.

Referring now in particular to the details of my invention as shown inthe drawings, thetilt- 15 ing platforml II is mounted on a base I6,herein preferably shown as being made from wood, by means of a pair ofhinges I8, 8 so the entire mechanism may be tilted about a transversehorizontal axis as is best illustrated in Figures 1 20 and 3.

lSuitable means are provided for tilting said tilting frame and holdingit in an adjusted position, which as herein shown includes an upstandingthreaded shaft I9. Said shaft has a 25 ball 25 formed integral with itslower end which is journaled in a ball-shaped socket formed in a member2l extending forwardly from the base I5, and said shaft is threadedwithin a threaded sleeve 22 secured to a hinged member 23 extend- 30 ingforwardly from the tilting platform II. A handle 24 is suitably securedto the upper end of said shaft so that said shaft may readily be r0-tated for tilting said tilting platform.

The rollers I2,4 I2 are mounted for reciprocable 35 movement in anarcuate path extending. longitudinally of the platform I I on a pair ofaligned shafts `25 and 25, the end of Yone of which shafts is threadedwithin the end of the other for assembly purposes. A suitable pin (notshown) is 40 lprovidedto hold said shafts from rotation with respect toeach other during operation of the dev1ce. Y The shafts 25 and 26 areprovided with suitable bus'hing members 29, 29 adjacent the outer 45ends of the rollers I2, I2 which ride in arcuateshaped guides or slots35, 35 formed in upstanding side walls 3I, 3l of a channel-shaped member32 secured to the tilting platform II in a suitable manner. Saidarcuate-shaped guides 50 are formed so that said rollers may move in apath substantially conforming to the instep or metatarsal arch. i

The shafts 25 and 25 are supported intermediate their ends in a suitablearcuate slot formed 55 in an upstanding stem 33 of a T-iron 34 securedto the bottom of the channel-shaped member 32 intermediate the sidesthereof.

Guide rollers 35, 35 are mounted on the shafts 25 and 26 outwardly ofthe bushing members 29, 29 andabut suitable guides formed in members 36,36 extending along the outer sides of the side walls 3|, 3| anddepending from the top of the casing I0 in order to cut down vibrationand noise in the apparatus. Said guide rollers are abutted by suitablelinks 31, 31 which, in turn, abut suitable heads formed on the outerends of said shafts. Said links extend forwardly of said shafts andtheir outer ends are journaled on aligned crank pins 39, 39 which areherein shown as being cap screws threaded in the aligned disks 40, 4Deccentric of the center thereof. Said disks are secured to the outerends of a transverse shaft 4| vso that rotation thereof will rotate saiddisks and reciprocably move the shafts 25 and 26 in the arcuate guides30, 30. Means are provided for rotating the rollers I2, I2 as they arebeing reciprocably driven in the arcuate guides 39, 39 by the links 31,31, which as herein shown, comprises a spur gear 43 keyed on the shaft25 and meshing with a gear sector 44 secured to one side of the stem 33of the T- iron 34j It should herein be noted that the rollers I2, I2 aremounted to rotate with the shafts 25 and 26 and that while said rollersmay be made from any suitable material they are herein preferably shownas being made from a resilient material such as rubber so formed thatthe inner sides thereof engage the instep, as has hereinbefore beendescribed.

The shaft 4I and disks 49, 40 are rotatably driven by means of asuitable motor 45, herein preferably shown as being an electric motor.Said motor is secured to the forward portion of the tilting frame i6 ina suitable manner and has a worm '46 secured to its motor shaft, whichdrives a worm gear 41 keyed to the shaft 4I.

Referring now in particular to the details of the foot rests I4, I4 andthe means under control of the patient for vertically adjusting them tovary the intensity of the massaging action of the rollers I2, I2 andadjust the device to conform to varying sizes of feet, each of said footrests being similar, one only will herein be -described in detail. Thefoot rest i4 includes a member 49 having relatively at forward andrearward ends with a channeled depression in the center thereof of lesslateral dimensions than the forward and rearward ends of said member.The channeled depression of the member 49 exten-ds beneath the roller I2and forms an opening within which said roller moves and the inside ofsaid member adjacent said channeled depression is of greater width thanthe outer side thereof to permit said roller to freely move therein. Asuitable resilient 'materiaL such as rubber, is provided on upper facesof the forward and rearward ends of said member to provide a comfortablenon-slippable rest for the foot.

VA pair of parallel spaced guide members 50, 50 is secured to oppositesides of the forward and rearward ends of the member 49. Said guidemembers have depending spaced legs 5I, 5I which engage the outer faceofa pair of parallel spaced frames 52, 52 secured to and extendingupwardly from the channel shaped member 32 in spaced relation withrespect to each other, so

rthat, one of said frames is in alignment with the rearward portion ofthe member 49 and the other of said frames is in alignment with theforward portion of said member. Thus, a slidable guide is formed for thefoot rest I4 for guiding said foot rest in a vertical direction andpreventing lateral displacement thereof.

The means for vertically moving said foot rest in said guides includes apair of parallel spaced shafts 54, 54 journaled in the side walls 3| and33 and the support frames 52, 52. One of said shafts is journaledbeneath the forward portion of the foot rest I4 while the other of saidshafts is journaled beneath the rearward `portion of the under surfaceof said foot rest, and each of said shafts have an upstanding cam member55 mounted thereon between the side walls of the support frame 52. Asherein shown, said cam members have parallel spaced arcuate engagingsurfaces which engage the under portion of the guide members 50, 56 at asubstantial distance from the longitudinal center of said foot rest.Each of said cam members is held from movement with respect to saidshaft by means of a set screw 56 so that pivotal movement of said shaftsand cam members will cause vertical movement of the foot rest I4.

The shafts 54, 54 are simultaneously pivoted for pivoting the cammembers 55, 55 in parallel relation with respect to each other by meansof a pair of parallel links 51, 51, each of which links is secured to anouter end of said shafts. Said parallel links are in turn connectedtogether by means of a pair of links 59, 59 which are pivotallyconnected at their free ends to an operating lever 60 disposedintermediate said parallel links.

The operating lever 60 is provided with a bifurcated lower end which ispivotally mounted o-n a pin 6I extending from a boss 62 extendingoutwardly from the sidewall 3|. A gear sector 63 is mounted on the pin6I between the prongs of the bifurcated portion of said lever arm and issecured to the side wall 3| by means of suitable pins which act as stopsfor said operating lever. Said gear sector forms a ratchet which isadapted to be engaged by a spring pressed pawl 64 pivoted to said leverarm. Said pawl is controlled by means of a rod 65 pivoted at its upperVend to one lever arm of a release lever 66 which release lever is inturn pivoted to the lever arm 60 adjacent the upper portion thereof. Thepawl 64 is yieldably engaged with the desired tooth inthe gear sector 63by means of a compression spring 61 encircling the rod 65 and abuttingsai-d pawl at one of its ends and a fixed abutment 68 extending fromsaid lever arm at its opposite end (see Figure 4).

It may now be seen that theV foot rests I4, I4 may be elevated orlowered in a simplied manner and held in various desired positions ofadjustment during the massaging operation. It should be noted thatinasmuch as each shaft 54 extends to the center of the apparatus only,as is best shown in Figure 5, that said foot rests may be adjustedindependently of each other.

Each heel rest I5 is of such a form that it may conform to the back ofthe heel and is mounted for adjustment both longitudinally andtransversely of the foot rest I4. Said heel rest is mounted at itsrearward end on a member 1I by means of a pin 12 mounted in a slot 19extending transversely of said member. Said pin is provided with a headwhich engages the under surface of said member. The upper end of saidpin is threaded and has a clamping lever 13 which is adapted to engage arearward projection from said heel rest, through which the pin 12passes,

th'e Iirre'nfllcer il, i' said heel resty may be transversely adjustedwith"respe`ct tothe foot.

Vrest lflfand held in an adjusted positionlwith respect thereto by meansof the clarnpin'gleverV 13. The memberfll is' mounted on the upper endoff av bolt '15. Said bolt is mounted in a longitudinal slot 'lformedri'n the member 49 and its head engages the under surface of themember @Sand the insides of the guide members 50, 50 which form alongitudinal guide therefor. A thumb screw l1 is threaded on theopposite end of said bolt for holding the member 'H and heel rest i5 ina longitudinally adjusted position with respect-to said foot rest. Y

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the apparatusforming the subject matter of my invention is so arranged as to massagethe metatarsal arch of the foot with a rolling reciprocatory motion bymeans of power driven resilient rollers conforming substantially to atransverse section taken through the arch of the foot. It will also beseen that the apparatus may be adjusted to varying forms and sizes offeet; that the intensity of the massaging action may be adjusted byvertically adjusting the foot rests I4; and that while the patient maystand on the apparatus during the massaging operation, if desired, theapparatus is adjustable so that the patient may comfortably rest in asitting position.

While I have shown and described one form in which my invention may beembodied, it will be understood that the construction and arrangement ofthe various parts may be changed or altered without departing from thespirit or scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed aslimiting myself to the precise construction illustrated, excepting as itmay be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus for massaging the foot comprising a foot support, aroller disposed intermediate the ends of said foot support and extendingabove the top thereof, means for guiding said roller in an arcuate pathdisposed in a vertical plane and conforming substantially to alongitudinal section taken through the metatarsal arch of the foot, andpower driven means for lrotating said roller and simultaneouslyreciprocably moving said roller in said arcuate path.

2. A foot massaging apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein theroller is shaped to conform substantially to the metatarsal arch of thefoot and wherein the foot support is vertically adjustable to conform tovarying sizes of feet and vary the intensity of the massaging action onthe foot.

3. In a foot massaging and exercising apparatus, a frame, a foot supportmounted thereon for adjustable movement with respect thereto in avertical direction, said foot support having a transverse openingintermediate the ends thereof, and a massaging roller guided in saidframe for reciprocable movement with respect thereto in an arcuate pathdisposed Within said opening and conforming substantially to the arch ofthe foot.

4. In a foot massaging apparatus, a frame, a foot support mountedthereon for adjustable movement with respect thereto in a verticaldirection, said foot support having a depression intermediate the endsthereof equal substantially to the length of the metatarsal arch of thefoot, a motor, a massaging roller guided in said frame and disposedwithin the longitudinal limits of said depression, means driven by saidmotor for re- 'sai'd' motor." v I jvftmassaging apparatus in accordancewim-'claim )4, wherein the massaging viro-11er is te Athemetatarsal'aehjof the foot.

515A; foot massaging apparatus 'in accordance 'with claim q'4,- whereinthe-*massaging rainer is ,formed to co'iifrm `subsi;initiaux; totheiiietatarsm arch of tnlfobtarid wherein .said roller is positivelyrotated while being' 'reciprocab-,ly driven by formed to conformsubstantially to the metatarsal arch of the foot, wherein said roller ispositively rotated while being reciprocably driven. by said motor, andwherein the means for rotating said 1 roller comprises a gear coaxialwith said roller for rotating said roller, and a gear sector fixed tosaid frame and meshing with said gear.

7. A foot massaging and exercising apparatus comprising a frame, a pairof parallel spaced foot 2 supports mounted thereon and having openingstherein, a roller disposed in said openings in each of said footsupports and mounted for reciprocable arcuate and rotational movementwith respect thereto in a longitudinally extending arcu- 2 ate path,power driven means for reciprocably moving said rollers, and alignedvertically disposed arcuate guides for guiding said rollers in saidlongitudinally extending arcuate paths which are arranged to conformsubstantially to a longitudinal section taken through the metatarsalarch of the foot. y

8. A foot massaging and exercising apparatus comprising a frame, a pairof parallel spaced foot supports mounted thereon and having openingstherein, a roller disposed in said openings in each of said footsupports and mounted for reciprocable arcuate and rotational movementwith i respect thereto in a longitudinally extending arcuate path, powerdriven means for reciprocably moving said rollers, and alignedvertically disposed arcuate guides for guiding said rollers in saidlongitudinally extendingl arcuate paths which are arranged to conformsubstantially to a longitudinal section taken through the metatarsalarch of the foot, and means for varying the intensty of the massagingaction of said rollers comprising means for vertically adjusting saidfoot supports.

9. A foot massaging and exercising device comprising a frame, a footrest mounted on said frame, a tilting platform forming a support meansfor said frame and adapted to tilt about an axis disposed transverselyto said foot rest and disposed beneath and rearwardly of the rearwardend thereof to adjust said foot rest for varying positions of the foo-twhile the patient is in a sitting position, a pair of aligned arcuateguides in said frame conforming substantially to the metatarsal arch ofthe foot, a roller guided for movement in said Iguides in the centralportion of said foot rest and adapted to extend above said foot rest,andv power driven means for reciprocably moving said roller in saidguides.

10. A foot massaging and exercising device comprising a frame, a footrest mounted on said frame, a tilting platform forming a support meansfor said frame and adapted to tilt about an axis disposed transverselyof said foot rest and guides in said frame conforming substantially tothe metatarsal arch of the foot, aroller guided for movement in saidguides in the central portion of vsaid foot rest and' adapted to vextendabove said foot rest, power driven means'for4 reciprocably moving saidroller in said guides, and means for varying the intensity of themassaging action Vo'fsaid roller comprising means for verticallyadjusting said foot rest.v

11i An ap'a'ratus for massaging the foot comprising a foot supportvertically adjustable to vary the intensity ofthe' massaging action'onthe foot and adapt the apparatus to. conform to vary`- ing sizes offeet, a roller shaped to conform substantially .to the transverse larchof the foot, means for guiding Vsaid roller for reciprocable movement inlan arcuate path conforming substantially to a longitudinal' sectiontaken through the metatarsal arch, and means for rotating saidroller'and simultaneously moving said roller in said arcuate path.

ALBERT K. WERLER.

